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USA Surfing named national governing body again for Team USA

April 15, 2026

USA Surfing will be the national governing body again for Team USA as the athletes ride into the 2028 Summer Games, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced on Wednesday, April 15.

It’s a milestone moment for the San Clemente nonprofit organization that for years has lobbied to regain governance of the sport on the Olympic stage, after auditing issues following its first Olympic appearance in 2021 in Tokyo. Most recently, USA Surfing had to fend off an attempt by US Ski & Snowboard at being named the sport’s governing body.

“Surfing is a sport that has deep roots in Southern California, and will no doubt be a highlight of the LA28 games,” Gene Sykes, USOPC chair, said Wednesday during the board meeting briefing. “The obligation of the NGB is significant, and the process by which we determine capabilities in the long and short term is one we take very seriously. USA Surfing’s new leadership and new approach has made this moment possible.”

USA Surfing will assume its role as the governing body on June 1, Sykes said.

“Today’s certification makes way for new investment and momentum to flow directly to surfers and the communities that built surfing’s talent pipeline,” Becky Fleischauer, CEO of USA Surfing, said in a statement. “With Lower Trestles as the LA28 venue and the full weight of an NGB behind our surfers, we are ready to deliver the most celebrated chapter in the history of American surfing. Every surfer, from the development pipeline to the Olympic podium, will feel the lift.”

Caitlin Simmers of Oceanside is one of the Olympians who came through the ranks of USA Surfing. (Mark Rightmire/Orange County Register/TNS)

USA Surfing was the national governing body when the sport debuted in the 2020 Tokyo Games. But in 2021, it voluntarily decertified in order to straighten out its management and organizational structure following issues the Olympic committee had with the reporting of funds. An audit was completed and presented at a public hearing last year.

The USOPC took over the managing role for the 2024 Paris Games and then opened the floor to bidders for future Olympics.

US Ski & Snowboard Association, based in Park City, initially lobbied against USA Surfing to add the sport to its portfolio. But it stepped away from its national governing body bid in November.

Team USA surfers will have a home advantage for the LA28 Games. Many from the United States grew up competing at Lower Trestles just south of San Clemente through the USA Surfing program, an amateur pathway that hosts a national championship at the surf break each year, preparing young surfers for a bigger stage as they segue to becoming pro athletes.

“Every Olympic medal U.S. surfers have won so far has come through USA Surfing’s pipeline and this coaching culture,” said Brett Simpson, surfing’s first Olympic head coach and USA Surfing board member.

Hawaii’s Gabriela Bryan, a USA Surfing alum who was the U14 and U16 champion at Lower Trestles, is starting the WSL World Tour season ranked No. 1 in the world, he noted.

As USA Surfing CEO, Becky Fleischauer fought tirelessly against plans by US Ski and Snowboard to take over managing and training Olympic surfers in the LA28 Summer Games. She has led the San Clemente organization that guides rising star surfers to the pro level in recent years. (Photo by Donald Miralle for CAF)

A Florida transplant who has called San Clemente home for a decade, Caroline Marks won gold in Tahiti for Team USA and holds several USA Surfing national titles. San Clemente’s Griffin Colapinto and Kolohe Andino, who have both competed in the Olympics on the men’s team, also hold several USA Surfing national titles.

“With the resources this certification unlocks, we’re leveling up a system surfers already trust and delivering the world-class support these athletes have always deserved,” Simpson said.

Already in anticipation of the Olympics, USA Surfing has secured a multimillion-dollar commitment of new sponsorships, launched the “Power Your Performance” workshop series, planned wave pool training camps, established live broadcasts of its surf contests to expand audiences and forged a partnership with Hoag Hospital to provide high-performance sports medicine.

USA Surfing also recently announced San Clemente’s Todd Kline, a former professional surfer and longtime World Surf League commentator, will serve as the organization’s new surf athlete commissioner.

USA Surf Team Coach Brett Simpson in 2021 talks to then junior team member Caitlin Simmers, of Oceanside, who would go on to win a World Title and compete at the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The position is a key leadership role as USA Surfing continues to build momentum toward LA28 and long-term surfing success, the organization said at the time. The commissioner will serve as the direct liaison between surfers, competition platforms and USA Surfing leadership.

USA Surfing is also recognized by the International Surfing Association, the International Olympic Committee’s recognized world governing authority for surfing, responsible for organizing surfing’s inclusion in the Olympic Games.

USA Surfing named national governing body again for Team USA Orange County Register

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USA Surfing named national governing body again for Team USA

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